Imposing what you want through a series of firm actions, in order to be the main beneficiary of the trade relations you maintain with a diverse group of partners, is how we can summarize the ideology of the man who has proven once again that international relations are a question of conflictual relationships that open the door to dialogue.
If you don't buy my products or if you don't buy enough of them, I'll buy less of yours, and you'll be taxed more. If you want to export your products to my country, it will be on my terms, not yours; in any case, what you used to do will change under my reign; you've already taken too much advantage of my country.
A businessman has taken power in the United States, and his actions speak for themselves. The country is run like a huge corporation that must make as much money as possible, avoid losses as much as possible, and generate huge sums of money at all costs, even if it means creating a trade war, which does not mean that there are no possibilities for negotiations.
Americans wanted a president who would take better care of their interests, and the fruits of their choice are palpable. For those who complain and who voted for him, complaining is not worth it; it is better to assume a sovereign choice until the end. The candidate's program was known in advance, and those who chose to support him, are only reaping the fruits of their choices, particularly on the immigration, economic, geopolitics, health and environment plans among others. Indeed, those who (in parenthesis) decreased American citizen’s privileges are being forcibly sent back to their countries. Taxing goods from abroad, has become a means of pressure implemented to achieve specific objectives that vary depending on the context. The countries bordering the United States and whose citizens are forcibly repatriated, must better control their borders. Companies that do not come to create jobs in the United States, will be subject to additional taxes, because they do not create jobs for Americans. The United States must maintain its position as the world's leading economic power, and any other direct competitor must maintain its position as second or regress, because the opposite is absolutely unacceptable. Weak countries which want peace must shut their mouths and obey what is imposed on them; bilateral relations are to be favoured over multilateral ones, established with the aim of competing with the United States, which must become the world's leading power in all areas.
This summary enumeration of the multiple actions taken by the new strongman of the United States reflects a deliberate desire to remain above others, through a set of necessary and useful taxes for a leader aware not only of the importance of his country on a global scale, but also of the consequences that these measures could have not only in the lives of Americans who pay the price of their choice, but also in the rest of the world. Indeed, between the desire for annexation and the increase in provocative customs taxes, many people no longer want to spend their vacations in the United States. According to Tourism Economics, a company specializing in the production of statistical analyses to better respond to the concerns of the various stakeholders in the tourism sector, a decline of at least 5% could be expected for the year 2025 in the United States.
But even if the American economy itself suffers the consequences of a set of provocative measures, that won't stop a businessman who won the election mainly to do what he does best: business! And anything that constitutes an obstacle in the implementation of the ostentatious policy of an America that must become very strong again, must be removed, put under pressure, or lost one of its major members. This is the case of organizations such as USAIDS, which would be tainted with irregularities that have caused the country to lose a lot of money, according to the new administration. The same goes for the World Health Organization (WHO), which is partly funded by the USA. The new administration has chosen to leave this organization under the pretext of poor management of the Covid crisis. A pandemic whose catastrophic management by the Trump administration, would be for some people, one of the factors that justifies the fact that he was not re-elected after his term from 2017 to 2021. Finally, the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreements (COP 21) which would not guarantee the interests of a businessman determined to make as much money as possible, using all the means at his disposal, because he has particular interests to achieve which, however, do not close the door to negotiations, especially with partners who have very satisfactory proposals.
This means that to benefit from the new president's favours, you must contribute to his project of making his country once again a very great economic power that evolves with others, while doing everything possible to be or remain above them. It is the law of the strongest. The weak only have the right to obey. They do not even have the right to speak. They accept what is offered to them, while finding a way to speak better by making proposals that are very advantageous for the United States because even the imposition of customs taxes are openings to dialogue. The businessman wants people with whom he will talk business. This way of doing things creates dissension and restructuring in partnerships in a multipolar world where competition is present at all levels, and where it is always preferable to negotiate, of course, on acceptable bases, instead of settling for a trade war which is a self-flogging. Indeed, since the USA does not have a monopoly on intimidation in a world where economic growth is conditioned by interdependencies, everyone will pay the price of an extension of heavy taxation, which has become a means of intimidation or pressure that shakes the economies of the world.
Negotiation is therefore the best way out. If the status of the United States as an economic power does not guarantee them total obedience from the majority of its partners, it is because they also have ways of putting the United States in difficulties, regardless of the fact that actions taken by the United State might backfire.
But the great partners of the USA cannot remain in this logic because no one would gain from such a situation. Indeed, whether they are in Africa or elsewhere, even billionaires do not like to lose money. Who will benefit more from that conflictual relationships which are a realities in international relations matters little. The most important thing is what will be implemented for the well-being of the populations who depend on a very useful interdependence for all countries, and in particular the great powers. The stage of ostentatious actions and reactions on customs taxes is only the introductory phase of a series of serious negotiations which will guarantee the interests of both sides, even if the reality of a rivalry between great powers will always be pending.
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